Performance indicators for portable X-ray fluorescence devices

The invention of hand-held X-ray fluorescence devices (HH-XRF) has revolutionized the way we analyse ancient materials. These devices are equipped with highly miniaturized hardware and advanced software, which encourages users to consider them as black boxes. This enables archaeologists, art historians, and restorers to be self-sufficient in performing materials analysis. However, there are specific situations, such as the investigation of copper-based artefacts, where users need to have a deeper understanding of the device's functioning. This article discusses the experiments carried out to reconfigure a hand-held Bruker Tracer 5g from scratch, compare it with an in-house developed portable spectrometer, and prepare both devices for field use. We focus on optimizing the primary filters and calibrating the devices by considering two quantitative parameters: the limit of quantification and the relative uncertainty of quantification.